drk5036
Contributor
Hey guys,
I was looking for some advice on what to wear on a new scuba adventure. I've posted this in basic, because while I'd like to get some specific advice, I'd really like to understand how I should think this through.
I'm living in Japan, and I'll be diving with a new group of people in Hokkaido, in the north. While Hokkaido is famous for snow and cold weather, it does warm up relatively in the summer. Right now, the water is about 22-23 C, about 73ish F. I'm going to be going diving at the end of this month, so I expect the water should be about 21 degrees, maybe 68-71 F. However, I've never dove anything colder than 24 C before, and it was early in my diving career, with a rented, ratty, poor-fitting 5 mil, no hood. I was fine in my core, but my head felt a bit cold at the end of the 3rd dive in the day.
Right now, I have the following:
Trusty 3 mil henderson pro full suit.
5 (hood)/3 mil hooded vest.
8/7 mil hollis semidry (*never worn*)
5 mil gloves and 2 mil gloves. (will probably wear the thinner gloves for dexterity)
5 mil boots (going to be wearing for sure)
My gut says to err on the side of being warm. But I'm also not familiar with diving in this gear, and I feel a bit nervous to dive with a new group of people in a thicker wetsuit. For example, I don't know how much weight to use. I can dive with my BP/W with the 3 mil full suit with no weight and aluminum tanks. We'll be diving steel tanks here. If I wear the 3 mil full suit and the hooded vest, I'm sure that I can throw 2 kg on and be probably a little overweight, but certainly diveable. I'm a little worried about jumping in with the semidry and (i guess?) 8 kg of weight, and if it's not enough, holding everyone up. On the otherhand, if I was underdressed and really cold, it would also be a problem.
So my question is, how do you predict what to wear in circumstances like this? Do you always err on the side of being overdressed (like you would at an event that you don't know the dresscode to?) I can't really ask others for advice, because japanese people are crazy and ALWAYS wear at least 7 mil wet. My friend is going to be diving dry.
Thanks for the feedback!
I was looking for some advice on what to wear on a new scuba adventure. I've posted this in basic, because while I'd like to get some specific advice, I'd really like to understand how I should think this through.
I'm living in Japan, and I'll be diving with a new group of people in Hokkaido, in the north. While Hokkaido is famous for snow and cold weather, it does warm up relatively in the summer. Right now, the water is about 22-23 C, about 73ish F. I'm going to be going diving at the end of this month, so I expect the water should be about 21 degrees, maybe 68-71 F. However, I've never dove anything colder than 24 C before, and it was early in my diving career, with a rented, ratty, poor-fitting 5 mil, no hood. I was fine in my core, but my head felt a bit cold at the end of the 3rd dive in the day.
Right now, I have the following:
Trusty 3 mil henderson pro full suit.
5 (hood)/3 mil hooded vest.
8/7 mil hollis semidry (*never worn*)
5 mil gloves and 2 mil gloves. (will probably wear the thinner gloves for dexterity)
5 mil boots (going to be wearing for sure)
My gut says to err on the side of being warm. But I'm also not familiar with diving in this gear, and I feel a bit nervous to dive with a new group of people in a thicker wetsuit. For example, I don't know how much weight to use. I can dive with my BP/W with the 3 mil full suit with no weight and aluminum tanks. We'll be diving steel tanks here. If I wear the 3 mil full suit and the hooded vest, I'm sure that I can throw 2 kg on and be probably a little overweight, but certainly diveable. I'm a little worried about jumping in with the semidry and (i guess?) 8 kg of weight, and if it's not enough, holding everyone up. On the otherhand, if I was underdressed and really cold, it would also be a problem.
So my question is, how do you predict what to wear in circumstances like this? Do you always err on the side of being overdressed (like you would at an event that you don't know the dresscode to?) I can't really ask others for advice, because japanese people are crazy and ALWAYS wear at least 7 mil wet. My friend is going to be diving dry.
Thanks for the feedback!